May 26, 1998

Hello, my name is Davina G. and I am an junior this year at Sacred Heart Prep. I am writing to you on behalf of a group of students and faculty at SHP who have come together with the purpose of informing our school community about the harmful effects of Proposition 227.

I became interested in the issue of bilingual education last semester, when I did a group project on it in my Social Ethics class. I attended a conference in San Jose where I heard the voices of many parents and directors of Hispanic-American organizations who all came together to take a stand against Prop 227.

This year, I had the privilege through a non-profit organization called Global Exchange of going on a bilingual-ed trip to S.F. I went on the trip with Amy B., a senior at SHP, and we visited two different schools, both with bilingual-ed programs. I have really learned a lot about the issue. I learned how bilingual-ed is not primarily a Latino issue, but it is also an Asian and European issue as well; we are definitely blessed to live in such a diverse country and community. Most importantly, I learned about the importance of the bilingual-ed programs as well as how important it is for our community to come together and help fight it.

For those who do know much about Prop 227, I will briefly explain what it plans to do and what those harmful effects will be.

According to Prop 227, also known as "English Language Education for Immigrant Children":

• all children who are English learners shall be educated through "sheltered English immersion" for about a year, meaning class instruction and curriculum will all be in English.

• students may be placed into classrooms along with students of different ages, but with the same degree of English proficiency.

• students who acquire a good enough knowledge of the English language will be placed directly into English mainstream classrooms.

• A waiver, signed by a parent, may be granted if the child already knows English, is 10 years or older, or has other special needs.

• the teacher is liable to be sued for teaching in the child's native language, or in other words, for denying "the option of an English language instructional curriculum."

The impacts that Prop 227 has on everyone associated with the bilingual-ed program are:

• the bilingual education programs which have been in existence for about 20 years, will no longer exist.
• Children will be denied access to the core subjects like science, math, and social studies for a year, which may potentially harm their academic future.
• Parents who want their children in a bilingual-ed program may not have that option because of the restrictions of the parental waiver.
• Teachers are liable to be sued for teaching in any language other than English
• Taxpayers will have to pay an estimated $10 billion due to the loss in federal funds, costs for repeating failed or lost grades, as well as huge legal costs.

The issue of Prop 227 has become such an important issue because many are realizing that it may in fact get passed because a lot of people are in favor of it. Our group here at SHP feels that it is mainly because people do not know enough about t it. Many feel, and we agree, that the reason why a lot of those in favor of it are minority families is because Ron Unz, a millionaire from the Silicon Valley who wrote Prop 227, and the members of his campaign are preying on the attitude of most minority families that "the sooner my child learns English, the sooner he/she can get a job a bring it money to the family." But we all know that no one, no matter of what ethnic background, can succeed in America without an education and obviously without being fluent in English as well. But this is what the bilingual education program has been working to do since 1979. It is true that the bilingual-ed programs have failed somewhat, but the answer is not to get rid of them completely, but instead to reform them. This is what our group hopes to see take place in the near future instead of Prop 227.

Our group did not have the intention of writing this letter of presenting you with a biased view of what the issue is. Unlike Ron Unz, we want to inform you as much as possible about Prop 227, who/what lies behind it, and what the impacts will be on the program because most of us are not old enough to vote. We can only hope that this letter has provided you with some insight and you will join us in the fight against Prop 227 when it comes to vote on June 2. I thank you so much on behalf of my group for taking the time to read this letter and also wish you a great summer.

Sincerely,

Davina G.
Class of 1999

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this letter, you can email me at davinag@shschoools.org. If you want more info on Prop 227 you can also contact the Coalition for Immigrant Rights at (415)243-8215. If you want more info on bilingual education in general, you can contact Global Exchange at (800) 497-1994, ext. 228 or via e-mail at julie@globalexchange.org.